Pneumatic tire



Nl BALDWIN.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

APPLlcATmN rim-:n ocT.22,v1919.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

' JV INVENTR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES iN'ATHANIEL BALDWIN, 0F EAST MILL CREEK, UTAH.

PNEUMATIC TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented 30, 1921.

Application led October. 22, 1919. Serial No. 332,378.

To all whom it may concer/1t.'

Be it known that I, NATHANTEL BALDWIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Mill Creek, in the county of Salt Lake and the State of Utah, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to pneumatic tires without inner tubes and the object is to provide a tire similar to the ordinary'casing and simple means to seal the tire airtight and thus avoid the necessity of an inner tube. Having means p-rovided to seal the casing airtight the casing may be rubberized internally or treated with any desired leak-proof mixture or solution. In case repairs have to be made the casing may be removed, opened and repaired and quickly replaced as before.

I attain this object by any of the constructions illustratedl in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a cross section of a wheel rim, tire and sealing device. Figs. 2,'3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 represent cross sections of some of the forms in which the essentials of the invention may be embodied. Figs. 13 and'v 14 represent forms of reinforcing material.

In the several igures of the drawing numeral l designates the wheel rim, numeral 2 designates the tire, numeral 3 designates the sealingvdevice, numeral 4 designates reinforcing or stifening material which the sealing device may contain and numeral 5 designates a gap or space beneath the sealing device or on the side of the sealing device opposite the compressed airwithin the tire.

In Fig. l the edges of the tire are made thick andare so formed that a space or ga 5 is left between them. This gapis bridge by a sealingdevice 'consisting of a closely Wound spiral spring 4, covered b a layer of some soft and impervious substance 3 such as rubber. When these parts are placed in position upon the rim 1 the tension of the spiral spring 4 will bring the sealing device into contact with the edges ofthe tire 2; and when the tire is infiated the air pressure upon the sealing device will cause it to ress harder upon the edges of the tire. Ihe space 5 must have a vent to the o en air through the rim 1 or otherwise. (lot shown.) Since the area of the contact surface between the sealing device and the tire is small compared with the effective against the escape of compressed air within.

The tire is sealed on the same principle as the ordinary fruit jar.

The tire and sealing device may take a variety of formsall embodying the same vinvention. A number of examples are illustrated.

In Fig. 2 the edges of the tire are beveled so that the sealingdevice 3 rests upon slanting surfaces and wedges between them under the pressure of inflation. The'illustration shows also a, sealing device made of solid material such as rubber.

The sealing device need not be round but may have any other convenient shape such as that shown in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4 the sealing device takes the form of an arch with its edges resting on the edges of the tire and the aspace 5 is within the arch. In Fig. 5

the gap 5 is bridged by a Hat sealing-device and in Fig. 6 the arrangement is the same except that the sealing device is formed integral with one edge of the tire. In Fi 7 the arrangement is the same as that of ig. 6 except that the sealing device forms an extension of one edge of the tire and when placed upon the other edge of the tire takes an inclined position leaving a triangular space 5 as illustrated. In Fig. 8 both edges, 3, 3, of" the tire are made wider and turned inward leaving a space 5 between and beneath them. The ressure of inflation will bring these edges into forcible contact and seal the tire.

The arrangement in Fig. 9 is the same as that of Fig. 8 except that a collar 6 formed in the middle of the rim fits in between the edges 3, 3, of the tire.-

In Fig. 10 a collar 6 is also formedupon the middle portion of the rim but it is not so high land the edges 3, 3, of the tire rest upon it.

In Fig. 11 the edges 3, 3, of the tire rest upon the rim. Grooves 5, 5, formed in the under surfaces of the tire leave projecting It will be seen that in all these forms of tires and seals the sealing is accomplished on the same principle and by similar means: namely, that seals formed integral with Itires or separate therefrom have vented spaces beneath them or between the =seals andthe rims, and that the edges of the seals .sustain the entire pressure upon the seals.

` strip of metal being cut in this manner will provide the necessary reinforcement for a.$ seal and at the same time will be flexible andA elastic and will cause the seall to adjust itself in a manner similar to that of the coiled spring of Fig. 1. Another form of reinforcing material may be made by bending a wire back and forth upon itself as illustrated in Fig. 14.

I claim:

1. 'A pneumatic tire comprising an endless tube divided on its inner circumference and separated leavingv a gapl between its edges and a sealing device within said endless tube and bridging said gap, said sealing v"device comprising a band of pliable material reinforced by stiff material to prevent said sealing device being pressed into said ip. i 2. pneumatic tirefcomprising an endless tube divided on its inner circumference and separated leaving a gap between its edges, and -a sealing device within said endless tube and bridging said gap, said sealing device comprising a band of pliable material reinforced by a band of still' material. r

3. A pneumatic tire comprising an endless tubedivided on its inner circumference and separated leaving a gap between its edges, and a sealing device within said endless tube-and bridging said gap, said sealing device` comprising a band of pliable material and a spiral spring. t

4. A pneumatic .tire comprising an end less tube divided on its inner circumfeence and separated leaving a gap between its edges, and a sealing device within said endless tube and bridging said gap, said sealing device comprising a spiral spring band and a pliable coverin for said band.

NATI-I NIELVBALDWIN. 

